AN: Ohhh, We're halfway there, woah oh, livin on a prayer...AHEM...what I meant to say, without breaking into song was this is officially the halfway point of the this story :D Thank you guys for sticking with it so far and stay tuned, it ain't over yet!

Theme: Through The Fire

Rating: M

Words: 1618

Disclaimer: Not me, nope, don't own it. Just this ol' computer and my rockin' coffee cup. ;.;

Chapter 25

Zoro could feel the adrenaline in his veins, roaring through him, telling him it was time to put this hellish experience behind them.

Nami, true to her promise was working on the lock, had been for some time. Of course they were both concerned that they were being watched, that like last time, there attempt would be all for nothing. Yet something felt different this time.

"Almost there...come on you stupid son of a..." Nami muttered, working with the wire. Zoro heard a click. "Got it! Gimme a sec..." He saw her slip the screw driver up into the lock, tilting her head. "Electronics...crap...Why didn't I listen to Usopp when he tried to teach me this shit..."

"Hurry..." Zoro urged, wanting to get moving as quickly as possible.

"Red or green?" She asked

"What?" He looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"Pick one!" She snapped

"Red..."

"Green it is, here goes nothing!" She moved her hand quickly cutting the wire with the screw driver.

"Oi!" Zoro protested.

"Shut up, it worked." Nami said, jumping to her feet and opening the door. "Now what's your plan?"

Zoro couldn't believe it. She'd gotten the door open and as of yet, no one had come after them. They had to move quickly though. Their luck wouldn't last forever.

"Grab handfuls of that straw stuff on the floor will you and put it under the support beams..." Zoro said, moving to do the same. They didn't have much time.

"Are you nuts? You're going to light a fire?" She asked, none the less doing as he said.

"We need a diversion, something to keep them busy and if we're quick they'll never know we're missing..." Zoro stated as he started lighting. Some of the straw was damp and it took a bit of patience but before too long he'd managed to light them. There was a good deal of smoke accumulating in the corridor.

Nami's eyes began to burn and felt her throat becoming irritated.

"Where does that corridor lead to?" She asked him, pointing the way he'd been taken just days before.

"Up some stairs to a courtyard. I think..."

Nami suppressed a sigh, "I think they both lead to opposite ends of the same courtyard. Let's just go..." She reached out to shove him in front of her. There were less chances they'd get separated that way, she hoped.

Walls, stairs, doors, some needing a bit more force than others. Everything became a blur as they focussed on keeping their feet moving.

At last they were outside, the night air refreshing. They had little time to savor it. They had to move, taking only a short breather behind a wall between the buildings. Nami took a chance, peeking over when she heard commotion, her heart feeling like it would come out of her chest with each beat. Fear, adrenaline and a certain amount of thrill raced through her. She saw smoke rising in the air and people running toward it.

She grinned, momentarily giddy. "I can't believe that worked!" She whispered.

Zoro gave her a grin and motioned for them to move again. The buildings were a blur, a maze of stone.

"I need to find my swords." Zoro said and Nami shot him an incredulous look.

"We have no idea where they are! Forget it, I'll buy you new ones..." She saw Zoro's eyes grow dark, stormy.

"You don't understand. I need them. I can't leave them behind." His tone was insistent, booking no argument and she realized there was something far deeper there than just his pride. She'd ask another time, right now they needed to find them and leave.

"We're so going to get caught..." She said, exasperated, but never the less turning toward one of the buildings. "This building is where we were dragged through before the trial..."

The stormed the building, anticipating a fight with every step and finding no resistance. It was oddly empty, eeary in a way.

"Do you think they took my clima tact?" Nami asked as Zoro kicked in another door, scanning the room.

Zoro shook his head, moving into the room. He grabbed a bag that was sitting there and started stuffing items into it, slinging it over his shoulder with a wince. "You lost it on the island we were taken from...somewhere before the field. I was going to go back and grab it..."

Nami nodded, biting her lip. "We need to check the other rooms..." She said trying to hurry him along. She felt an all too familiar feeling well up that she hated. At least with her clima tact she was useful in a fight. She could only hope that Luffy and the others had found it, if they'd gone searching for them that is.

SHe shook the thoughts away and nearly startled as Zoro threw something toward her. She caught it almost instinctively. It was what looked like a broom handle, minus the broom and she started to say something snide toward him before he cut her off.

"You can use a bo staff right? Improvise." He snapped. He seemed to be searching for something, focused.

"Zoro...we need to go..." She insisted.

"Just wait...I have a feeling..." He moved further into the room and she winced at the noise he made, knocking over a couple of crates and boxes.

And suddenly he was beside her, urging her to move. "Got em. Let's go!"

Sure enough, she could see him tying his three swords into his haramaki even as they moved. It was something automatic, routine.

A smile, the first one in days came over her face. Just maybe they had a chance.

The smile faded from her face as she saw a glimmer of something moving toward them, something she couldn't quite see. Many of them blocking the corridor. There was just a smudge, an outline behind them and she heard the laughter that chilled the blood in her veins.

"Bravo. That stunt you pulled back there fooled everyone else but you didn't think I was that stupid did you?" Liloquois cackled from behind the images. Some seemed to be marines, others creatures out of nightmares, and all of them were inching closer.

Zoro had pulled his swords, but he knew as well as she it was wasted effort. By the time he took down all of them, Liloquois would have them and it would be over.

She backed up, but they were cornered. Behind them was a half opened door to what looked like a janitor's closet and she heard Zoro's boot hit a bucket as he moved back a step, taking aim with his swords.

She saw him glance down and then again, a gleam in his eyes and she felt relief. He had a plan at least.

That in mind, she squared her shoulders, adrenaline making the pain in her shoulder just a dull throb. Twirling the broom handle in front of her, as she would a bo staff she began to lash out, striking the images in controlled strikes. Sometimes they fought back with whatever weapons they had in their arsenals but she kept her focus, trying to buy time.

She felt a burst of energy wash over her, wind from an attack and saw Zoro take out a large number of them before ducking down, reaching behind his foot for something. She heard the bucket move, liquid poured and the next thing she knew she was being shoved forward as Zoro powered his way through the blurs, using his body to plow through. His bandanna was shoved over her face and she tried to pull it back only to stop struggling when she heard him coughing.

Liloquois too dropped to the ground, coughing and hacking. Zoro didn't stop, stepping over the man as they made it out the door behind him.

They managed to run before she realized Zoro wasn't keeping up and she grabbed onto him, pulling him in between two buildings.

He was breathing heavily, coughing in between.

"What the hell did you pull back there?" She demanded

Zoro seemed to be catching his breath and he grinned at her. "Remember when shit cook banned Luffy from cleaning the galley?" He asked

Nami made a face, confused, "Yeah but what's that got to do with anything?"

"The moron mixed a bunch of stuff and almost caused a reaction. Curly brow blew up at him, ended up explaining what would have happened if he'd mixed the bleach with drain declogger stuff, that it wouldn't have made the drain cleaner-,"

"It would have turned into poison gas!" Nami said in amazement, "And that actually stuck with you?" She laughed.

Zoro shrugged, "Worked didn't it?"

Nami laughed again, "With any luck that bastard's lungs are liquifying...Let's get the hell out of here!"

11111

The ocean air felt amazing against her skin, the wind rushing through her hair, even if it was only a small breeze. It felt so good to be free.

Nami's expression sobered as she looked at the candle's flame in front of her. They weren't quite free yet, but with any luck they would find Luffy and the others soon and all would be ok.

They'd managed to steal a small sloop that the two of them could manage and get out of the harbor at least.

She glanced across the small deck and saw Zoro tying off the last of the sails.

While things were quiet there was something she needed to do more than anything else. Her hand reached out, picking up a pen as she set a sheet of paper in front of her.

Luffy, she began writing,

If you are reading this...